Well written in the classic western style

Story blurb: By the close of 1882, the inhabitants of the American West had earned their reputation as untamed and dangerous. The line between heroes and villains is narrow and indistinct. The concept that a man may only kill if backed into a corner is antiquated. Lives are worth less than horses. Treasures are worth killing for. And the law is written in the blood of those who came before. The only men staving off total chaos are the few who take the letter of the law at its word and risk their lives to uphold it. But in the West, the rules aren’t always played according to Hoyle.

U.S. Marshals Eli Flynn and William Henry Washington are escorting two prisoners to New Orleans for trial when they discover there’s more to the infamous shootist Dusty Rose and the enigmatic man known only as Cage than merely being outlaws. When forces beyond the marshals’ control converge on the paddlewheeler they have hired to take them downriver, they must choose between two dangers: playing by the rules at any cost or trusting the very men they are meant to bring to justice.

Available in e-book format – 640 KB

About the author: Abigail Roux was born and raised in North Carolina. A past volleyball star who specializes in pratfalls and sarcasm, she currently spends her time coaching middle school volleyball and softball. Any spare time is spent living and dying with every Atlanta Braves and Carolina Panthers game of the year. Abigail has a little girl they call Boomer, four rescued cats, one dog, a certifiable extended family, and a cast of thousands in her head.

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Like the title implies, “According to Hoyle,” by Abigail Roux [Dreamspinner Press. 2011] is a “thinking western.” Oh, it has the usual standbys, i.e. the gunfights and rough-and-tumble, plus the ‘good guys’ in the persons of two lawmen, Marshals Eli Flynn and William “Wash” Washington, a pair of ‘not-so-good’ guys, Gabriel “Dusty” Rose and the mysterious ‘Cage,” and some downright no-goodnics like Stringer & company. However, being plot driven it has somewhat more sophistication than shoot-em-up.

The crux of the story comes in the second half when Flynn and Washington undertake to deliver Rose and Cage to justice in New Orleans, and to do so they take a riverboat down the mighty Mississippi. Cloistered, so-to-speak, the four men cannot help but interact, and Rose, the plot catalyst, sets the pace by openly taking a shine to the enigmatic Cage. Dusty is the one to do it, of course, because he is written as a glib-talking, iron dandy, who makes no apologies for his preference for men, and as their relationship develops it gets Flynn and Wash thinking romantically as well.

By way of a parallel plot there is a valuable artefact on the boat, and its allure attracts the attention of the sinister Stringer and his band of outlaws. Standing in the way, of course, are Flynn and Washington who are sandwiched between the outlaws they have in custody, and the ones they haven’t dealt with, yet. This inevitably causes some rethinking and reshaping of trusts and alliances.

My views

Overall, I liked it for the complexity of plot, and the adherence to classic western principles; i.e. resisting the prevailing temptation of bouncing characters in and out of bed. For some unknown reason, contemporary westerns tend to consist of riding the range on someone’s butt; whereas, Zane Grey (“Riders of the Purple Sage”), Max Brand (“Destry Rides Again”), and Owen Wister (“The Virginian”), etc., wrote no sex whatsoever.

But while we are on the topic of sex and sexual orientation, I did find the occurrence of four same-sex-oriented characters in the same plot a bit much. Yes, there probably was as much same-sexual activity as there is today [see: Queer Cowboys – Chris Pickard for a discussion on that topic], but, for the most part, it was all very hush-hush.

I also had a bit of difficulty following the plan for the heist. It just didn’t seem as solidly thought out as the rest of the plot. However, that may be just me. Recommended as a good read. Four bees.

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Come visit “We Carry the Torch“ – It is an event linked to the Olympic torch relay through the UK, trying to cover all 70 days of the event with posts linked to the area the torch will visit that day. Something about a GLBTQ story set there (published or about to be), or about an author who lives there. Some research set in the vicinity or a link to a character from a story (born there, left in disgrace, or the like).

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My “work-in-progress” novel (no name yet)

I’m working diligently—when I’m not doing the governments’ bidding or wrestling with computers and computer programs—and it is moving ahead (about 40%) rewritten. Basically it is the same story as in Coming of Age on the Trail, but in two parts. Therefore, I’m rewriting Part 1 as a stand-alone novel that will have a sequel in Part 2.

I’d love to use the picture of these two lads on the cover, but I don’t have the rights to it. Nonetheless, this is the image I’m using (in my mind) as I develop “Cory” and “Reb” as characters.

More news as I go along.

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If you would like to learn more about any of my books, or to order copies, click on the specific cover below. Two Irish Lads and Nor All Thy Tears are available in both Kindle and Nook formats. Publisher’s price, $4.95.